“To Affinity and Beyond’’: Lunar New Year Celebration and Potluck
Courtesy of Sequoyah School
Over the course of the school year, Sequoyah has enjoyed a plethora of affinity events and potlucks. On Tuesday, February 13, the arrival of Lunar New Year was honored with a potluck at Sequoyah’s high school. The delicious food, festive envelopes and lanterns were highlights of the event. Among the spread were delectable variations of fried rice and noodles. But beyond the cooking, what goes into planning celebrations like these?
Marisol Pérez, co-director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), shared her expertise on organizing affinity groups and events at Sequoyah. ‘’Potlucks have generally functioned as a result of a club or… affinity or stewardship group coming forward and saying ‘We would like to celebrate something’ or ‘We would like to end a particular event with a potluck,’” Pérez stated. Previous celebrations like Día de los Muertos or DEI Day were a result of students taking the initiative to plan the event. When it comes to expanding celebrations to the lower school, Pérez sees a future where “junior high students might be incorporated into [upper school] gatherings.” Looking forward, Pérez said, “if there’s one thing I would love to see with future potlucks [it would be] more buy-in from the whole community. I think people can easily fall back on the thinking that the celebration is by and for those people that are organizing it, not viewing it as a community celebration; it’s for everyone.” While Pérez is involved in Equity Alliance, Wyatt Muncy headed the Lunar New Year Potluck.
Muncy very passionately organized the celebration. ‘’Since I’ve been a freshman, there weren’t really any celebrations related to AAPI,” he stated. “And I just feel that…API voices have never really been heard. I’m very aware and proud of my identity. So that’s why I wanted to try and kick start this new tradition.’’ He worked alongside humanities teacher Daniel Yu and Eileen Lee, Director of Events and Parent Engagement. Muncy also worked with his parents and advisory to create lanterns and pack envelopes. To him, Lunar New Year is a big, happy celebration.
Yu presented a commemoration of the Monterey Park shooting in the Morning Meeting a few days prior to the Lunar New Year celebration. In reference to the presentation, Muncy said it expanded his perspective on the potential of affinity events. “It doesn’t always have to be…what is your experience with racism; [it] should be a celebration of identity because that’s what affinity is.”
Yu weighed in with his experience of Lunar New Year. Growing up, the holiday was filled with late night mahjong games, huge dinners, and family gatherings. Yu doesn’t attend affinities often, as he usually finds other ways to honor his heritage. “I have spaces where I’m able to do that and where doing that in those spaces feels more organic than in the sort of school-sanctioned affinity area. That’s part of the difficulty of affinity spaces, right? They are, in a way, inorganic. But I think they are really valuable for a lot of people and, in the absence of other spaces, they become extremely important.”
Whether you do or don’t celebrate Lunar New Year, it’s always nice to have a space to celebrate your culture and create warm memories within your community.